Working the ball

[Jmikecpa]

It's interesting to me that thus far it's the lower handicappers that opt to play their shot. Understand I mean no disrespect what so ever by writing that and we have a pretty small sample.

 

A lot of times that is what the difference between a mid handicap player and a low handicap player......a low handicap player hits the shots they know they can hit, not the shots they think they can hit.  If I hit a bad tee ball my thought automatically moves to how I can mitigate the damage and make a score that will not kill my round as opposed to a low percentage shot that I may be able to pull of 10% of the time that leads to a snowman.  The mindset for me at least is how do I make the best score on a hole after trouble as opposed to how to make a miracle par.  Sometimes a bogey is not a bad number.

[BK in TEXAS]

It's interesting to me that thus far it's the lower handicappers that opt to play their shot.

I didn't read it that way at all.  Sounds like most people only curve it when they need to....unless they are just out having fun.

 

Maybe it would be more accurate to say the low handi-cappers don't bend it for fun. No disrespect intended.

 

Regardless, If you don't regularly bend the ball during casual everyday rounds it makes sense not to do it under pressure. Even then just because you can do it doesn't mean you should.  Every shot, every situation, every goal is different.

[revkev]

A lot of times that is what the difference between a mid handicap player and a low handicap player......a low handicap player hits the shots they know they can hit, not the shots they think they can hit.  If I hit a bad tee ball my thought automatically moves to how I can mitigate the damage and make a score that will not kill my round as opposed to a low percentage shot that I may be able to pull of 10% of the time that leads to a snowman.  The mindset for me at least is how do I make the best score on a hole after trouble as opposed to how to make a miracle par.  Sometimes a bogey is not a bad number.

 

 

Again this is exactly the way I think.  Could be BK but that wasn't coming through clearly to me.

 

Steve, ball position has a bit to do with it, to hit it lower from the move the ball back in your stance, distribute more weight on your left side (front side), take more club, grip down a bit and make a threw quarter swing - practice this and it will give you a nice safe shot in the aresenal on approaches and as lay ups on par 5's.  I will hit this type of shot with the wind as much as into it for the same reason that RR mentioned earlier, it's much easier to control the distance.

 

To hit it higher move the ball up in the stance a bit, swing harder and finish higher but be careful with this one if you already struggle over the drawing the ball.

 

With the driver it's easier, tee it higher or lower based on the ball flight you want.  If you struggle with over drawing it take extra care when you tee it higher.  Conversly if you struggle with the slice/fade take care when you tee it lower.

 

Oh and practice all of this a bit before trying to take it on the course.

 

Good luck.

[dru_]

I will honestly say that I will try to work the ball left to right, and play some different shots with a wedge on occasion, it is rarely with money on the line.  If I am looking for the money shot, then I am going conservative with the shot I can make 90% of the time, not the one I'll hit 10% of the time.

 

Look, I'm not that good a golfer, I certainly don't have the game to think about bending a ball around a target.  But there is an exception, and I suspect that almost all of us have this same exception.

 

I play about 6 different types of wedge shots.

 

Of course the full/partial swing, neutral position as the standard up & down we all have.  But what about the other needs, the 20 harder that needs to land on the fringe and release 10-12 feet? ( back in the stance, closed face, flat swing, partial swing ), or the 10 yarder that has 20 feet of elevation gain that needs to get up, land soft and not roll out too much?  open stance, open face partial swing 'flop'.  these are the shots we all learn and create not out of desire, but need. Few of us spend time working on them, but let's face it. When you look at the guys that can  scramble for that nasty par or bogey and the ones that get in trouble and never recover on the hole, this is the difference.  

 

It is less about working it left to right, and more about having those shots in the bag when you need them.  ( this is what make Bubba so interesting, he does have those shots, but he is famous for the monster draws and fades that precious few pro golfers have, much less Am's).

[dru_]

 Sometimes a bogey is not a bad number.

 

This right here is a huge thing IMO.  

 

The biggest change in my game this spring is simply this.  My index had floated up over 17 during the winter, from a low of 15 last summer.  If I threw out the winter rounds, I would a 13 right now.  What changed?

 

I quit _trying_ for birdie on every hole. Truthfully, on most holes, I am not trying for par either.  I play the game I have and accept that on most holes, bogey is a fine number, so my goal on every hole is no longer 'make a birdie', it is 'don't take a double'.  The result is that I make fewer boneheaded 'ego' shots and accept what the course give me.

 

Working the ball left to right falls firmly in this category to me. Rarely will I try to 'work around a tree' because it is in the end and low percentage choice.  a safer out and then swing away in a clear line is less likely to lead to double bogey.

 

That said, I will still on occasion be a bonehead. But since February, my whole game and mindset has seen a massive change, and the result is that I play better, with less stress.  I worry less about getting 'close to the pin' and more about giving myself a chance at par, and and a good bogey.

[revkev]

Watch that handicap drop dru - from everything I've read and heard you have the physical capability to get down below 80. 

 

I've read some good business type books that apply here - do what you do well and don't worry so much about what you don't do well or better yet hire someone to do it for you.  (Of course in golf you can't go out and hire someone to hit your drive but you get the idea.)

[dru_]

Watch that handicap drop dru - from everything I've read and heard you have the physical capability to get down below 80. 

 

I've read some good business type books that apply here - do what you do well and don't worry so much about what you don't do well or better yet hire someone to do it for you.  (Of course in golf you can't go out and hire someone to hit your drive but you get the idea.)

 

Funny story Rev.  3 weeks ago I went out with a group of guys that are all high single digits at their home course. Played to a personal best +7 and won the round net and gross.  

 

The difference? My handicap and 95% of my rounds come on a short, narrow course that places a premium on tight landing zones.  Their course was a grip and rip it course. Long, but wide open, where a 15 yard left to right miss simply won't hurt you.  It is amazing what wide open fairways do for your GiR :-)

[RoverRick]

I quit _trying_ for birdie on every hole. Truthfully, on most holes, I am not trying for par either.  I play the game I have and accept that on most holes, bogey is a fine number, so my goal on every hole is no longer 'make a birdie', it is 'don't take a double'.  The result is that I make fewer boneheaded 'ego' shots and accept what the course give me.

 

 

This is the wrong thread for this but I will say it again here since the conversation has turn, as least for a bit, to lowering handicap.  You can not birdie the hole from the tee box, but you can bring double bogey in to play.  My goal on every hole from the tee box is to have a make-able putt for par. 

 

So lately, if I know the pin is on the right side of the green, then I want to approach it from the left, so I may hit a draw.  Once I get to my ball, I still have the same goal, and I decide what the safest way to do that is.  It may mean going for the flag or in some cases it may mean not even going for the green but par is still the goal at this point.  Now on the third shot the goal is to put it in the hole but not more than a couple of feet from the hole.  Once I am on or near the green, I can think about birdie but never to the detriment of par.

 

They way to lower your handicap is not make more birdies, unless you are a scratch golfer.  The way to lower you handicap is to make pars and never worse than bogey.  Of course there are times when even the best golfer makes a big number but those should be the exception.

[revkev]

To carry the analogy a bit further the way to become a better putter is normally not holing more putts it's taking fewer three putts.

 

So wait for it and watch me get it back on track........

 

If you work on your long putt distance control you will be rewarded with more pars when shooting for the fat of the green there in reducing the felt need to work the ball in a way you are uncomfortable working it.

 

How's that bard?

[Paul S]

This is the wrong thread for this but I will say it again here since the conversation has turn, as least for a bit, to lowering handicap.  You can not birdie the hole from the tee box, but you can bring double bogey in to play.  My goal on every hole from the tee box is to have a make-able putt for par.

 

That is one of the best lines I've read lately. I really like that attitude off the tee.

[jpcgolf]

My normal shot is a draw, and at my course, I have to shape many shots to the right because there are many hazards on the left with the fairway running towards them.  I also shape the ball to the right sometimes when I need to take 5 yards off of an iron.

[wbealsd]

My natural swing produces a draw and, while I've been learning to fade the ball on the range, it's not a shot I'll generally play when playing for handicap.  When I play in a 2 man scramble league and practice rounds, I'll sometimes try to shape the shot but I'm just not comfortable or consistent enough to attempt it in serious play. 

 

At my level, I just focus on keeping the ball in play and minimizing mistakes.  When I hit the ball into trouble, I just want to make sure I get out of trouble to mitigate the damage and setup my next shot, instead of losing yet another stroke trying to make a shot I'm not confident in.  Bogey is NOT a bad score for me, and I make pars and the occasional birdie more frequently when I stay within my comfort zone.

[mnfats95]

I pull the majority of my shots about 10 yards with my irons otherwise the ball flies straight usually. I almost always play this shot unless the pin is on the right side of the green. I aim 10 yards right of the pin unless that puts me in a bad spot with the pin on the right. In that case I'll aim as far right as I can and if it comes off straight I'm fine or if I pull it I have a long putt.

 

This seems to work well for me, my goal on every hole is GIR. I three putt on average once a round, otherwise I'm pretty solid on the putting. It's a big misleading because when I'm hitting greens I have a lot more putts due to not being as close to the hole when I'm missing greens and chipping on. But it all equals a similar score in the end. I just feel better two putting for a par vs one putting for one.

 

At least I had a chance at birdie right?!

[revkev]

I pull the majority of my shots about 10 yards with my irons otherwise the ball flies straight usually. I almost always play this shot unless the pin is on the right side of the green. I aim 10 yards right of the pin unless that puts me in a bad spot with the pin on the right. In that case I'll aim as far right as I can and if it comes off straight I'm fine or if I pull it I have a long putt.

 

This seems to work well for me, my goal on every hole is GIR. I three putt on average once a round, otherwise I'm pretty solid on the putting. It's a big misleading because when I'm hitting greens I have a lot more putts due to not being as close to the hole when I'm missing greens and chipping on. But it all equals a similar score in the end. I just feel better two putting for a par vs one putting for one.

 

At least I had a chance at birdie right?!

 

 

Obviously I agree with you - I would almost always rather putt on one surface (green) than have to navigate two or more types of grass. (green, fringe, rough, sand, fringe, green - you get the picture)

 

Also have you considered checking the lies on your irons?  If you have a consistent miss and it's happening often enough it may not be the Indian.

[RoverRick]

This week, since this topic has been up, I have paid attention more out on the course, and I would have to say, that beyond a doubt, I am trying to work the ball to some extent on every shot.  There has not been one time when I just went up and whacked the ball without giving thought to how I wanted the ball to fly and then roll after it landed.

 

Sadly, it has not always worked out that way.

 

This decision is made before a club is pulled out of the bag, and is actually a vital part of club selection.  Even lay up shots get some work.  I noticed that I was particularly cautious when laying up on 18 yesterday.  Due to the 20+ mph north wind I would have had to hit a 6-7 iron into the island green, this would not have been a smart play, however, it is just as important to put the ball exactly where you want it on the lay up shot as it is when going for it.  The only thing worse than going for it and ending up in the "watery filth" is ending up there while attempting to lay up.

 

Even if I were to find myself 350 from the green, (yeah, that is a 3 wood distance for some on the internet, but for me that is a couple of 6 irons at least.) But I will not just indiscriminately pull 3 wood and flail away.  Also, I would pay attention to how far the second shot went in relation to what I expected it to go.  Let's say I hit a 6 iron 175.  I decide to hit 6 iron - 6 iron.  If I have 175 left then obviously that was the right club, but if I have 190 or 150 then I know that the ball is traveling shorter or longer than expected so I need to adjust accordingly. 

 

As an aside, I am not likely to hit 3 wood in this situation.  I can not hit a 3 wood that far, I can not hit a driver that far unless down a runway with a jetblast behind me, so why should I hit a hard to hit club.  A 5 wood or hybrid is much easier to hit consistently than a 3 wood.  However, I am more likely to hit an iron, so that I can better gauge how far my next one will fly. 

[fozcycle]

As a former low Hcapper, I have the knowledge to know what to do.  However, since my wrist injury(1998), I am basically a Bogey golfer.  So I just try for there middle of the green.  Lately, I have struggled out of the sand and so I have gone back to a 30 year old sand wedge that I won in a tournament around 1984....a Wilson R90 Original sand wedge.  It's a heavy club and with the bounce, I seem to be able to get out of the sand better.  Actually, I holed out from a deep bunker for a Birdie last week.

 

I know I can get back to the low teens if I can build some confidence in my short game.  My approach shots are usually just off the green, so I need a consistently good chip.

 

Anyway, the R90 is in my bag for now, surrounded by 2014 Cobra irons & woods.

[Rickles]

Rev, this is a great thread. I think that the bottom line is a person needs to do what works best for them. Pro's talk about working the ball a lot and so do commentators but I do not think most pros work the ball that much. All the pros have a stock shot ball flight that they play most of the time. The only pros that seem to constantly work the ball are the true ball striking virtuosos. You hear Johnny Miller talk about that on TV all the time. I also have read that Hogan did this. If the pin was front they hit it high if it was back they knock it down and skip it back. If the pin is right they fade it. If it's left they draw it. Those two are probably the best ball strikers the world has ever known. Also some of the super creative guys do this too. Phil does crazy things and so does Bubba, but they both still have a go to shot. For them it is the lefty cut. However the vast majority and even the best players in the world have a stock shot. Nicklaus cut it almost all the time. Trevino also almost always played a fade. Rory almost always hit a draw. Then there are the guys who are great players and have even in some cases won majors and they never deviate from their natural flight. Kenny Perry always plays a big draw. He aims out over hazards and draws it back to fairways and greens all the time. Bruce Litzke was famous for almost never practicing and not playing when he wasn't on tour and he played nothing but a fade always. We all have our natural tendencies. Know them and play them. For me the tendency has always been a draw it was a big one growing up and after college I worked for years on a fade to avoid the snap. I practiced a lot back then. Now I am back to playing a draw because I don't have time to practice and I have to do what is natural. On the rare occasions when i do practice I hit all types of shots. However, this is more to keep me focused and improve my ball striking than for when I play golf. When I was a +2 I actually hit a draw with the long clubs and then played it dead straight with the short clubs. I also try to adjust to what s happening that day. If I'm drawing it a lot I aim right and play it. If I'm hitting the straight push I try to aim a little left.  

[revkev]

Rickles nice to hear from you and hope you had a great Easter!

 

I agree with your assesment - I rarely miss a year going to see the pros play and often have seen them two or three times in a season.  While there are some who like to work the ball both ways even most of them hit it one way almost exclusively and some excesively although not so much anymore with the newer equipment.

 

Nicklaus was so obsessed with hitting it one way and one way only that he would annually rebuild his game for a draw at August and then tearing down and putting it back together for his fade the rest of the way.  In his prime he was a GIR machine.  Lehman was a draw and draw only guy as was Fuzzy Zoeller.  Hale Irwin was a fade guy and with those old balata balls you could really see that thing curve.  Watson drew the ball, still does.  I also think that most pros flight it up or down although even there you see exceptions - Nicklaus and Watson jumping out which is amazing given that Watson won five Opens playing the ball high - gives you an idea of how solidly he hits it.  I've certainly known guys who can work it comfortably either way, my cousin is a single digit guy who has no preference, but for the most part I think that people at any level are best off playing to their strengths and doing what they do best.

[BIG STU]

As a former low Hcapper, I have the knowledge to know what to do.  However, since my wrist injury(1998), I am basically a Bogey golfer.  So I just try for there middle of the green.  Lately, I have struggled out of the sand and so I have gone back to a 30 year old sand wedge that I won in a tournament around 1984....a Wilson R90 Original sand wedge.  It's a heavy club and with the bounce, I seem to be able to get out of the sand better.  Actually, I holed out from a deep bunker for a Birdie last week.

 

I know I can get back to the low teens if I can build some confidence in my short game.  My approach shots are usually just off the green, so I need a consistently good chip.

 

Anyway, the R90 is in my bag for now, surrounded by 2014 Cobra irons & woods.

Actually I played a R-90 myself for many years. Recently I did play Vokeys until I found out my beloved 58* was not conforming. I looked around and could not find a suitable wedge that weighed and hit like my 58. To be honest I did not want to pay the prices these shops want for a new wedge now. I looked through my stuff and found a Staff Tour Blade JP II that was pristine. I bent it up to 58 and did a little grinding on the sole and lead taped it up for my weight specs. It works great for me and it is conforming because it was made in 1979

[HighFade]

I'm with rev in this one.

 

I try to work the ball maybe once every 3-4 rounds. Usually if I'm stuck behind a tree. And it is extremely rare that I pull it off. I can sometimes draw it but a controlled fade is almost impossible. For me, it's just not worth the effort.

 

"Keep it simple, stupid" is my motto.